The 2024 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), held its closing and awards ceremony for the PITCHING section today (8th). This year's grand prize, the TAICCA X CNC AWARD, was awarded to "Clouded Leopard" by Mangowork Studio Co., Ltd., while the TAICCA AWARD: Best Story went to Rest in Pieces by Balena Islet Publishing Inc. Each winner took home $30,000 USD and $10,000 USD, respectively. Additionally, following the jury's recommendation, a Special Jury Award was introduced due to the exceptional diversity and quality of proposals. This award was presented to the tri-country co-production "The Alleyway" (South Korea, Qatar, and Denmark) which received $10,000 USD in prize money as encouragement to inspire more market-potential projects in the future.
TAICCA Chairperson Homme TSAI expressed that the four-day TCCF event received high praise for its international participation and professional quality, with over 10,000 visitors attending. He hopes to invite more major international platforms and production companies to participate in next year's TCCF for deeper negotiations and exchanges.
This year's PITCHING section featured diverse proposals, and the jury found the content outstanding, with many projects receiving multiple awards. For example, "Taiwanese Folklore ‒ The Crown Prince and the Boys on the Railways" won the friDay Video Original Story Award and the CTS Original IP Award; "Reborn as Grandma: There Must Be Something More Important Than Inheritance" received the GTV Best Originality Award and the SET TV NEXT STAR Award; "Don't Worry About Vampire" won the Taipei International Film Award and the BIFAN+ Award, an invitation to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival's Asian Project Market.
TAICCA CEO LU Jiun-Wei added that this year's proposals were not only diverse but also highly international, earning unanimous recognition from international professional judges. This underscores that TCCF PITCHING has become a significant pitching event in Asia and globally. It also received substantial support and acknowledgment from industry professionals both domestically and internationally. TAICCA will continue its efforts, collaborating with industry partners at home and abroad.
Additionally, on the last day of TCCF, the FORUM section featured a star speaker: Korean variety show ace producer NAH Yung-suk, presenting "Producer Nah's Variety Shows: Unveiling How South Korea's Ace Producer Creates Globally Popular Entertainment Programs". NAH shared his experiences and journey through producing renowned variety programs, attracting a large audience of fans and industry attendees.
The morning session "Crafting Fear: The Possibilities of Horror Film Themes" highlights a discussion between notable figures in the Asian horror film industry: Thai director Banjong PISANTHANAKUN, Japanese producer Taka ICHISE, and Taiwanese director Lester HSI, who served as the moderator. It explores their experiences in crafting horror narratives and building effective horror elements.
Lester HSI, known for directing "The Bridge Curse and its 2023 sequel The Bridge Curse: Ritual", co-founded D-Day Pictures to develop film and TV projects across Asia. His work includes "Gourmet Affairs", Taiwan's first culinary crime-action series on Netflix, and a successful horror game adaptation of The Bridge Curse.
Banjong PISANTHANAKUN gained fame with Shutter (2004) and continued his success with films like "Alone" (2007) and "Pee Mak" (2013), the highest-grossing Thai film of all time. His latest work includes The Medium (2021), a Thai-Korean collaboration, and producing "You & Me and Me" (2023).
Taka ICHISE, president of OZLA Pictures Inc., is a key figure in popularizing J-horror with films like "Ringu" (1998) and "Ju-On: The Grudge" (2003). His work has influenced English-language remakes and extended to international collaborations in Japan, the US, and Asia, including series like "JU-ON: Origins" (2020) on Netflix.
The discussion highlighted the ability of horror films to transcend language and cultural barriers, making them an effective medium for sharing Asian stories globally.
The full winner list of TCCF PITCHING 2024 can be viewed below:
Please click the link for detailed introduction of all awards and full winner list.
